The Lilac Heiress & The Bronze Trident

The Firefly In The Storm

Chapter Nine:

Hotaru silently watched as Rory and Gale fought, their long appendages swinging and flying towards skin and flesh, creating poison purple and dark blue splotches against olive skin. Vick and Posy sat watching behind a glass of glowing gold, their eyes wide with wonder at the glassed force field and flinched when Rory got a particular strong strike at the lower jaw, as Hotaru sat outside the glass force field. Rory fell onto the ground like a sack of potatoes, his piercing light grey, blue tinted eyes flashing with pain, before he was helped up by Gale who looked victorious at his win. Seeing this, Rory grew angry, his pride hurt, and retorted, "Okay Mr. Badass, why don't you fight Hotaru?" Posy cutely gasped at this before glaring heatedly at her second oldest brother. "Rory! Princess Firefly would get hurt from Gale's big foot punches! And it's rude to fight others without a reason!" Posy scolded angrily as she had her hand on her hip and the other pointing a finger accusingly at the scolded Hawthorne. Hotaru rose an eyebrow in amusement at the Hawthorne girl, her molten gold eyes shining with her amusement shown, as Gale let his eyes linger at her before looking at Rory. "Pose is right, Rory..." Posy gave a smug look, "Hotaru can't stand my strong punches." Hotaru snorted as she gracefully strode towards the Hawthorne, her eyes glowing as she gave a raised eyebrow at the teen. "Please, Hawthorne, I've faced stronger punches. Compared to them, you punch like a infant." She inwardly shuddered as she remembered Tsunade's strongest punches. Rory and Vick 'oohed!' at this, chorusing, "Damn someone call 911 'cause you just got burned!!!" Pride hurt, he glared at her as he slid into a brawler's stance which made Hotaru give a smug look. "Let's go!" He glared and charged, fist up in a right hook aimed for her right cheek. As he charged, he saw Hotaru's smug look shift into a sadistic, crazed grin as her eyes glowed with insanity, and as he neared, he heard her cackle darkly, "Art is an explosion!" Suddenly, he felt himself get forced back by a small blast of gold, his eyes temporarily blinded from the beautiful bright light caused by the blast. He stood back up, rubbing at his eyes, and looked around to see the crazed kunoichi nowhere in his line of sight.

Which scared him...

"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu (Earth Style: Double Suicide Decapitation)!"

He looked down, only to widen his eyes in horror as he saw a hand grab his ankle in its deadly embrace, before being dragged down into the earth with his head the only thing above ground. He watched in awe as Hotaru rose from the ground as if a phantom and sit criss crossed in front of him, a mischievous smirk in place. "Taunting highly tempered opponent always works..." She grinned before gracefully standing up and strolling over towards the three Hawthornes who had their jaws slacked open at what they saw Hotaru do in mere minutes. Then, she said one thing that made the Hawthorne males pale considerably,

"I wasn't even trying, Hawthorne!"

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The five sat in the Hawthorne Household with Gale holding an ice pack against his sore neck as Hotaru let Posy play with her sunset orange chest long hair while she was learning how to play Speed from Vick. "So, I put the Queen...here?" She placed the Queen of Spades on top of the Jester of Hearts. Vick nodded in approval and instructed, "Now, do you have a King or Jester?" She moved her head in the negative. "If that happens-since I don't have them either-you take a card from the side stacks and place it on the card you're stuck on." They did just that and Gale smiled when Hotaru cheered when she won Vick-the supposed Speed Master-in her first try, her eyes glowing brightly with joy as a bright smile shone on her features. Rory snickered, "Is little Gale in love with a certain someone in this house?" This made Gale glare at the boy, feeling his face burn quickly in embarrassment. "No, Rory, and if you keep that up, then I'll tell Katniss what happened last night between you and Prim." Gale blackmailed Rory who stumbled slightly as he rose to get a glass of water, his face pale with eyes wide with horror. "You wouldn't..." Rory trailed off with a soft gasp. "Oh yes I would, Baby Brother." Gale smirked as Posy grinned, pulling back from her work that was Hotaru's hair. "Done!" Posy giggled, dramatically displaying the tight bun she had made on Hotaru while the bangs were pinned back to reveal her forehead. Hotaru smiled over her shoulder as Vick sulked at the fifth time loosing to Hotaru. "It's perfect, Posy." She praised, smiling softly at the girl who blushed under her sincere gaze. "Y-you're welcome! After all...princesses need to have perfect hairstyles!" At Posy's statement, the boys chuckled and a harmonious, light, voice giggled. Gale glanced over to see Hotaru laughing as her golden eyes glowed with laughter while her lips formed into a beautiful smile. His breath hitched at the radiating sight of Hotaru laughing.

She really is beautiful...

He blinked at his thought as he watched the firefly laugh with the cluster of storms rampaging with joy across the Earth. He, reluctantly, agreed with his thought as he heard the door to the makeshift house open, revealing a soberly stoic Haymitch, his crystal blue eyes dull with years of regret, as he sternly ordered, "Hawthorne, you're needed for a high classed mission." Everyone stopped what they were doing, their happy air darkening seriously at the aura surrounding the mentor. "What's the mission?" Gale asked as he placed the ice pack down onto a nearby table.

"We need you to save Peeta."